Clean water, a reliable electricity supply and regular waste removal are among the priorities DA Joburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille says she will focus on if elected.
Zille was speaking during an interview with IN THE KNOW with Sowetan on Monday.
“The thing that you do in local government is what the constitution requires you to do — one is to deliver clean water to people that they can drink, wash and clean with.
“The second is to ensure the electricity is getting to people — obviously, people have to pay for electricity above the free basic [amount] that the people get through subsidy. Waste removal, cleaning away the rubbish and obviously, people must dump rubbish; they must not throw it all over. We have to have a partnership with the people,” she said.
“There must be sewage systems working. There must be infrastructure, roads, street lights, and traffic lights. All of that infrastructure must work, and that is a singular role of local government — basic service delivery, and that is what we will try to do for everyone.”
Zille said vandalism and negligence made service delivery harder, and that if residents vandalised infrastructure, then they should know it is difficult to keep finding the budget to replace it.
“If people are not going to use the bags that are provided to put their refuse in, but instead throw it all around, then it’s going to be very hard to keep the place clean. Government is a partnership between the people and those elected to lead.”
Asked why she was running for mayor at the age of 74, Zille said the role was both challenging and fun.
There must be infrastructure, roads, street lights, and traffic lights. All of that infrastructure must work, and that is a singular role of local government — basic service delivery, and that is what we will try to do for everyone.
— Helen Zille, DA Joburg mayoral candidate
“They [the new generation] must compete with me. We had calls for nominations and applications for mayor, and people competed with me. They do that all over the country in every single metro. Sometimes a young person wins, and then they say, ‘Chris Pappas [mayor of the uMngeni local municipality] can’t be mayor; he is only 29 and what does he know about the world at 29 to be mayor’. And then when I come out successful as a candidate, they say, ‘How can a 74-year-old be a mayoral candidate? Isn’t she too old?’ The answer is no,” she said.
Zille said the DA has rigorous selection processes.
“We don’t crown people, we don’t deploy people, and the leadership doesn’t pick people. The applications are wide open [and] anybody can compete as long as they are prepared to be a DA member and work on a DA programme of action.”
On whether her candidacy was a vote of no confidence in the DA’s Gauteng leadership, Zille said her experience had prepared her for the role.
“It is hard to compete with experience, and the [DA] leader of this province, Solly Msimanga, didn’t want to put his hat in the ring to be mayor. I am not competing with Solly Msimanga. He was, in fact, on the selection panel that grilled me and put me through my paces.”
SowetanLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.